The present invention generally relates to a computer keyboard, and in particular to a computer keyboard assembly having an exchangeable wrist support.
A keyboard is a common input device for a computer. A user usually uses two hands to operate the keyboard. However, in operating a keyboard, a user must suspend his or her wrists. This causes extreme strains on the user""s wrists in an excessive period of operating the keyboard. A wrist support is usually attached to a front side of the keyboard for supporting the wrists of the user.
Some conventional wrist supports are integrally fixed with a keyboard. Adding a wrist support to a keyboard increases the overall size of the keyboard and consequently, costs of package and transportation of the keyboard are increased. Furthermore, such an integral structure of the wrist support and the keyboard does not allow a user to change the wrist support. This may cause problems when a computer is to be used by many users, including adults and children, for the length of the arms is different between an adult and a child.
Wrist supports having a foldable structure are also available in the market. Such foldable wrist supports can overcome the size problem, but is still not suitable for different users due to its incapability to exchange with or replace with other wrist supports.
It is thus desirable to provide a keyboard having exchangeable wrist support to overcome the above-discussed problems.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a keyboard assembly having a wrist support that can be released from the keyboard for exchange with a different wrist support.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for releasably mounting a wrist support to a keyboard for allowing ready removal of the wrist support in order to reduce the overall size of the keyboard assembly.
To achieve the above objects, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a keyboard assembly comprising a keyboard and a wrist support which is releasably mounted to the keyboard by a retention device. The retention device comprises a slide movably received in a slot defined in a front extension of the keyboard. The slide has an L-shaped top projection defining a channel. A guide plate is fixed to the front extension of the keyboard by a bolt and has an edge movably received in the channel for retaining the slide in the slot and guiding the movement of the slide. A pawl is formed on the slide to be movable therewith between a released position and a secured position. The slide is biased by a spring toward the secured position where the pawl engages a U-shaped member formed on an underside of the wrist support thereby securing the wrist support to the keyboard. A notch is defined in a bottom face of the slide for manually moving the slide against the spring toward the released position where the pawl disengages from the U-shaped member of the wrist support for releasing the wrist support from the keyboard.